


Private Fletcher's View

by Jake_Matthews



Series: Fletcher [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-04-25 08:29:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4953409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jake_Matthews/pseuds/Jake_Matthews
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story about Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, told from the perspective of a man who was in the army with Bucky, telling his granddaughter Penny about his experiences as a bedtime story. Penny's speech is written in italics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Grandpa? Will you tell me a story?_

I'm not very good at stories, dear. I can read to you if you like?

_Please, Grandpa, I want a story._

Alright Penny, what sort of story would you like?

_Tell me about Sergeant Barnes._

Sergeant Barnes? Where did you hear that name?

_Dad mentioned him a few weeks ago, before... Mum got really mad at him for mentioning Sergeant Barnes. Who is he?_

We were in the army together. He was the love of my life, though he never knew it. I used to tell your Dad stories about him when he was little. Your Mom didn't want me telling you stories about the war, said it would give you nightmares. Although, you seem to be having nightmares anyway after what happened. I suppose it couldn't hurt... Come on, into bed and I'll tell you about Sergeant Barnes.


	2. Chapter 1

I think I'll start with the Hydra base. We, along with a number of others, had been captured by Hydra, a Nazi division who developed some very advanced weaponry. We were being held behind enemy lines as prisoners of war. They took some men away for some experiments or something. Sergeant Barnes was one of the ones they took.

I stood there, in a cage, helplessly watching as they dragged the man I loved off for God knows what. I didn't scream for him, I didn't make pointless threats to the men dragging him, I didn't try and tell him how I felt. It would all have been pointless, and could have got me into a lot of trouble with our captors. He never looked at me, not in that way, not in the way I looked at him. He never found out about my feelings. Maybe it was better that way.

It was awful, stuck in that hellhole. In my mind, there was almost no hope of a rescue mission being organised, and the chances of any rescue being successful seemed even scarcer. Escape was not on the cards either. We would be stuck there until either the war or our lives ended. That was how I saw things. And it seemed to me that dying was more likely, and at times I thought it may even be preferable. I was so pessimistic in those days, everything seemed so pointless. Even the war seemed pointless, I never really thought it could be won, even before I went off to fight. Sergeant Barnes had helped change that attitude slightly, but it came flooding back when I saw him taken away. I was sure I'd never see him again. And then the Captain came.

_The Captain? Captain Who?_

Captain America. He broke into the Hydra base where we were being held, released all of us who were in the cages, then, upon hearing that there had been people taken away, he went further into the facility to find them, leaving us to fight our way out. We all ran out, fighting with our fists until we managed to disarm an enemy, and then we took their weapons. Well, some of us did, I think some people may have just run under cover fire from those who did acquire weapons. I took a gun. It was the strangest gun I've ever encountered. There were a couple of guys managed to steal tanks. Got on top, broke in, eliminated the guys inside, one way or another, and hopped in themselves. Absolute geniuses, those fellows.

As we made our escape, someone set a self destruct on the base. Everything blew up behind us, the buildings were on fire, and then the Captain emerged, half-carrying Sergeant Barnes. I was so happy to see him alive again, to be free, that I thought about telling him my feelings while we were on our way back to our base. But then I saw the way he looked at the Captain. I decided there was no point telling him he was the love of my life, because he'd already found the love of his life.

_He was in love with Captain America?_

Yes, he was. But I never minded. I was in love with him, and I still am to this day, but it seemed that the Captain was what he wanted, so I let him be. If I couldn't be with him, at least I could see he had someone who made him happy. I'm fairly certain Sergeant Barnes was the main reason Captain America decided to come to our aid. No one else would have.

After the Captain and Sergeant Barnes came out of the base, everyone grouped up in the forest, and the Captain lead us home.

_Did you bring the stolen tank back with you? And all the guns?_

Of course my dear Penny. Whyever wouldn't we bring back our spoils of war? Now, I think that's enough story for one night. Go to sleep now, and I'll tell you more tomorrow night. Goodnight.

_Goodnight Grandpa._


	3. Chapter 2

Alright, time for bed Penny.

_Are you going to continue your story, Grandpa?_

About Sergeant Barnes? Well, that depends. Did last night's story give you nightmares?

_I started having a nightmare about the accident... but then Captain America came to save me! And Sergeant Barnes! I couldn't see what they looked like though..._

I might have an old picture somewhere, I'll show you tomorrow. For now, lets get back to the story. I believe last night I told you about escaping the Hydra base? Okay, into bed then, settle down... 

It was a long trek back to base after the Captain broke us out, and I did my best to stay close to him and Sergeant Barnes, who were walking together up at the front. I may have given up on ever confessing my love to Sergeant Barnes, but I still wanted to spend as much time near him as I could. I had almost lost him, and now he was back I needed to make sure he was safe. I couldn't lose him, I didn't think I could bear it. 

I don't know how many of the other soldiers could see it, I think a lot of them were distracted by their new-found freedom, but for me it was plain to see that the Captain and Sergeant Barnes were deeply in love. The looks they shared, their body language. It was all screaming love. That was a little hard for me to see, I'll admit, but Sergeant Barnes was happy, and that's all that mattered to me. That may sound a little cheesy, but its true. And seeing how much they loved each other, although it hurt, also made it easier for me to let go, because I knew he had someone who cared deeply for him. That was all I wanted for him really, even if that couldn't be me. 

Shortly after we got back to camp, Sergeant Barnes called for a cheer for Captain America, and at that point I saw a sadness in his eyes, and I vowed to find out about the reason behind that, and do what I could to sort things out. The two of them deserved each other, needed each other, and I had to do what I could to keep them together. Otherwise I could never live with myself. 

It didn't take me long to figure it out. I spoke to Howard Stark, who I had a bit of a rivalry with going back several years, and who was working with the military as a scientist. He mocked me a lot for being over there as a soldier rather than a scientist, even though I assisted his team on multiple occasions. But anyway, he knew more about the Captain than me, and it turned out that the Captain used to be a scrawny, sickly lad until volunteering for an experiment to create a super soldier to help give us the edge in the war. Clearly it was a success, but poor Sergeant Barnes was a little put out, feeling slightly like he wasn't needed anymore; feeling that Captain America didn't need his protection anymore. 

_So how did you make him feel better?_

I spoke to Sergeant Barnes. Asked him what it was like adjusting to this change in his friend, tried to help him see that deep down inside, the Captain was still that little scrawny feller. Not long after we had that conversation I over heard the Captain recruiting the Sergeant for his team, and the Sergeant said he was following the little guy who didn't know how to walk away from a fight. It warmed my heart to hear him say that, because I knew I'd got through to him, and had helped patch up that little blip in their relationship, without letting on that I knew about their relationship. I ended up doing a lot of that, pretending I didn't know about it and secretly helping to cover for them. Howard Stark was hell when he figured it out. He was merciless in his ribbing, well almost merciless. He did refrain from mentioning things around the Captain and the Sergeant, so I could continue to play Cupid in secret. 

Anyway, I think that's enough for tonight, sorry it wasn't much of a story. 

_No Grandpa, I loved it. You'll tell me more tomorrow?_

Of course my dear. Goodnight. 

_Night, Grandpa._


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Private Fletcher reminiscing after Penny has gone to sleep, rather than a bedtime story, as the subject I wanted to cover here gets a little too grown-up for Penny.

Now that Penny was asleep, her grandpa seated himself in the living room of their small flat. He closed his eyes and thought back to the moment he had ended that night's story on. Sergeant Barnes practically parroting his advice as he accepted the Captain's request to join his team. A smile flickered across his face as he remembered the moment, a smile which quickly dissolved into a frown as he remembered what came next.

Sergeant Barnes had stepped closer to the Captain, who bent his head down slightly to deliver a gentle kiss to his lover's lips. They had glanced round briefly to make sure they were alone, yet somehow had missed Private Fletcher perched in the shadows, then the Captain had grabbed Sergeant Barnes roughly by the hips and pulled him even closer for a much more passionate kiss. Sergeant Barnes' eyes had widened in shock at the aggression, clearly this was a new side to his boyfriend. The way he'd melted into the Captain's body after a moment of looking at him in shock showed that he clearly appreciated the change.

The old man shuddered in his armchair as the memory of the heartbreak he'd felt at that moment washed over him. Sure, he'd accepted that Sergeant Barnes would never be his and had vowed to make sure their relationship went smoothly, but still. It hurt to see that kiss, but he couldn't take his eyes off it.

Captain America had pushed Sergeant Barnes up against the wall, pressing his body against the slightly shorter man so that his hands could be free to roam the Sergeant's body, re-familiarizing himself with the shape which he hadn't felt in so long, this was clearly the first opportunity they had found to be together in a long time. Given how the Sergeant's hands were desperately clawing at the Captain, trying to feel every inch of him, Private Fletcher guessed this was the first time they'd been together since the Captain changed. The passion between them was so heated that Private Fletcher began to feel awkward about watching it. He turned away when Sergeant Barnes began to slide his hand into the Captain's shirt. That was too much to watch. That hallway wasn't exactly private, even if there wasn't anyone around (that they could see).

As he tried to resist the urge to glance back at the couple, Private Fletcher spotted someone else coming towards them, not yet in a position to see Sergeant Barnes and the Captain, but closing on them fast. He slipped through the shadows towards the intruder, then when he was far enough from the couple he stepped out and greeted the man loudly.

"Hey, buddy, how's it going?"

"Fletcher! Hey, where you been at? Don't tell me you been working, you deserve a break after what we've just been through."

"D'you wanna tell Stark that for me? But nah, I just, ah, needed a break from the crowd. Spent far too much time in a crowded space recently, I need me some space." It was partly true at least. Those cages had felt very cramped at times.

His buddy grinned and said, "I'm not going anywhere near Stark, I'll leave dealing with that crackpot to you."

The pair of them rounded the corner together to find Captain America and Sergeant Barnes leaning casually against the wall, chatting. Clearly Fletcher's quick thinking and loud voice had alerted them in time to prevent an awkward scene. Although Sergeant Barnes still looked slightly flustered, a little red in the face, and he couldn't seem to look directly at the Captain.

The Captain looked up as they came round the corner and smiled nervously in greeting. Sergeant Barnes looked up at them as well, and stepped towards them.

"How you holding up Fletcher? Walters?" he asked, looking between the pair of them. Something in his eyes suggested he was looking for an indication that they knew what they had just interrupted.

"I think we oughta be asking you that, you had a much harder time of it than us. But, uh, yeah, we're doing good, aren't we bud?" Walters nudged Fletcher slightly, knowing he could get a bit tongue-tied around the Sergeant at times.

"Y-yeah, I'm good," stammered Fletcher, blushing slightly at his awkwardness, hating that this was the Captain's first impression of him. He cleared his throat slightly and asked timidly, "What about you Barnes, you're good now, right?" He glanced up and caught the Sergeant's eye, silently communicating that he was referring to their earlier conversation.

"Yeah, I'm good." The Sergeant smiled at him warmly, a smile that Fletcher returned weakly.

"Captain, I have to say, thank you so much for rescuing us from that... place..." Walters trailed off slightly, disliking the direction his thoughts were taking.

"Hey, it's no problem. Besides, you lot did most of the rescuing yourselves, I just let you out."

"Seriously? You're gonna belittle your big heroic rescue? Come on, there are a lot of men owe you their lives right now. Your timing couldn't have been better as well, old Mr Pessimist over here had just given up all hope." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Fletcher, who blushed and shrank back into his jacket as Walters continued, "I reckon he'd have turned to suicide pretty soon if you hadn't shown up." Captain America raised his eyebrows, shocked by the idea, and Sergeant Barnes looked sternly at Fletcher.

"I thought you got better at optimism, Fletcher. Why would you think like that?" He may have looked stern, but his voice was filled with concern for the man. Looking back, Fletcher realised that even if the Sergeant had never had romantic feelings for him, he clearly cared about him. That brought a smile to the old man's face.

"I had been doing better, but that place... the cage... it sent me right back to square one. That rescue though... Captain you may well have permanently changed my outlook on life; you've made me feel a whole lot more positive. I will always be very grateful to you for that." In his head he added, "and I'll do my best to repay that debt by helping along your relationship."

The Captain blushed profusely at his words, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, er... I'm glad I could help, I guess..." He was clearly unsure of what to say to that, and seemed to cast around for another subject. "I er... Did I overhear you two saying something about Stark? Something about him being a... 'crackpot', I believe was the word you used?"

It was Walters' turn to blush now, stammering slightly but not getting any actual words out. Fletcher grinned and responded himself, "Well, I er... I work with Stark... sometimes... M'buddy here sees us both as crackpots, doesn't really get science." He looked at his buddy with a fond expression that just screamed "you're an idiot but I love you anyway". Walters pulled a face in response.

"Ah, so is it you I've heard him mumbling about from time to time - something about a 'pessimistic nuisance'?"

Fletcher grinned maliciously. "So I'm on his mind? Excellent, I can still annoy him, even when I'm not there. I can use this. I think on that note, I'll be off for the night. I have plotting to do." Walters rolled his eyes, Sergeant Barnes laughed and the Captain shook his head, smiling. Walters said his farewells to the pair as well, and he and Fletcher walked out.

The old man opened his eyes, still smiling at his memories. He pulled an photo album off the shelf ready to show Penny some photos the next day, then wandered off to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so maybe that didn't get as adult as I had been thinking, but it was still probably not something to be shared with Penny.


	5. Chapter 4

_Grandpa? Grandpa?!_

What is it dear? Are you alright? You're shaking... Did you have a nightmare? Oh, you poor thing... Do you want to talk about it? ... No? Okay, well how about I tell you some more about Sergeant Barnes and Captain America? I've got a photo album out in the living room, I could show you what they looked like, so they can come save you properly in your nightmares. Alright then, come on, I'll carry you through shall I? Oof, gosh you're getting big Penny. My little squidge is growing up...

_Grandpa..._

There's that smile... Right you sit down here, and - Yes alright you can snuggle up to me. Alright so, let's see what we've got...

Oh, this is a lovely picture! It's a whole group of us, not long after we shipped out. We had some down time, so we played cards and got to know each other. It's before the days of Captain America, but that man there, that's Sergeant Barnes. Laughing away... But I've noticed since, he looks a bit sad, can you see? I think he must have been missing his little guy... worried about how he's doing without Sergeant Barnes to protect him.

_I can't spot you Grandpa, are you in this shot?_

Yes, I am. That's me at the back there, trying to hide behind my friend's shoulder. That's Walters, he was a good friend of mine... We stayed in contact after the war, but he died about nine years ago.

_Oh... I'm sorry..._

_Grandpa are you looking at Sergeant Barnes' bottom?!_

Am I? Oh, goodness, so I am! Well he did have a pretty delicious looking ass...

_Grandpa!_

Sorry, that was inappropriate... Er, let's move on shall we? I'll find one of the Captain for you... umm... Aha! There he is! That's him and Sergeant Barnes, not long after they were reunited... Don't they look happy together? That's why I backed off, why I didn't pursue a love affair with Sergeant Barnes.

_Are you sure you were the only one who realised they were together? They don't make it that hard to see..._

Well, other people weren't really looking... I suppose it's possible others may have seen something, but I made sure I was the only one who saw them kissing, or cuddling or... I shouldn't be discussing this with you, you're too young. But when they were together, I used to stand guard outside the tent, or just around the corner, or wherever was most convenient where I could see anyone coming before they intruded on Sergeant Barnes and Captain America's privacy, but I was out of sight. I needed to be, they couldn't know what I was doing.

_They would have been mad at you, wouldn't they? If they knew you were watching them._

I didn't watch them! Well, not everything anyway... I may have seen more of them then they would have liked, but I tried my best to just focus on keeping others away, or talking loudly to whoever was approaching to give those love-birds some time to sort themselves out... Let's move on shall we? Oh gosh, no that's not a good photo, no let's just -

_Grandpa is that blood?! Why are you covered in blood?!_

Oh, why do I have that photo? Ugh... Captain America formed a squad known as The Howling Commandos after he rescued us. I was never in that group, it was quite a small squad, but I was one of the men who would often accompany them as backup. This was taken immediately after a mission, and I'm covered in blood because of what happened. I really shouldn't tell you that story, it'll give you such horrible nightmares, I can't do that to you...

_Please Grandpa. I want to hear about it. I'm already having horrible nightmares, and they're so confusing! I don't understand, I don't remember -_

Alright, calm down, shhhh... It's okay Penny, it's okay, I'm here. That photograph... Some of the blood is mine, from various scrapes and cuts. All minor injuries I sustained. Most of it, however... From the various Hydra agents I was fighting. Somehow I ended up in very close-quarters combat with them. I don't know how I managed to get off so easy, I should've died that day. But I didn't. I think what caused most of the blood was when the Captain threw his shield to take out a Hydra agent who was coming from above to take me down. The man was knocked backwards by the force of the shield, and impaled on a tree branch. His blood was raining down on me, gushing from the wound in his chest, bubbling out around the branch...

It wasn't just his blood though. There were other agents around me who were cut down. One was shot in the head as he was about to take me out, his head exploded... there was blood everywhere... bits of brain...

_Maybe we should move on Grandpa. If it's too hard for you... I've heard enough._

You've heard too much. Let's talk about after this was taken, hmm? I went to wash up, I can't believe I even let them photograph me like that. I felt disgusting. After I'd washed up, I was heading back to my tent, and as I passed Sergeant Barnes' tent, he stuck his head out the front. I think he had the Captain in there, and was checking if the coast was clear for the Captain to leave. I was going to just walk past with a nod to acknowledge him, I was always a bit shy about talking to him. Even when I was trying to fix his relationship it was hard for me to get the words out, but he was always so patient, letting me stumble through, encouraging me but not rushing me... God I love that man. Anyway, err, I was just going to walk by, but he came out of the tent completely and called out to me. I stopped and turned to him.

He asked how I was doing, I said I was fine, stuttering slightly. He just looked at me, he could see I wasn't fine. I sighed and said "I know I've cleaned it all off, but I still feel like I'm covered in blood. I'll be glad when all this is over." He smiled at that, because he knew I hadn't used to see an end to the war. "It's good that you see an end now, I'm glad," he told me, and I replied, "It's all thanks to you and the Captain. Seeing the pair of you... together... in action... It gives me hope. I never thought I'd find hope out here, so thank you Sergeant." I was looking at the ground as I spoke, digging my toe into the dirt. It made me so nervous talking to him. He put his hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see him smiling at me. He said, "I'm glad to be of service." I smiled back at him, then said goodnight and left. I loved that man so much. Sometimes I wish I'd told him, but I wouldn't have wanted to take him away from the Captain.

Let's look at some more photos, shall we?

~They sat together on the sofa, looking through the photo album into the early hours of the morning, until Penny drifted off to sleep. Then her grandpa laid the photo album down on the table and drifted off as well.~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... that took an unexpected turn. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this one anymore. I might just do one or two more chapters before I finish this and move onto the sequel. I've already started the first chapter, but I'm not uploading until I've reached a conclusion here. This is proving a lot harder to write as I get further in.


	6. Chapter 5

_Grandpa? Grandpa, where are you? It's time for bed, you need to tell me a story! Grandpa!_

Coming Penny! Just give me a minute...

Look, Penny is fine here, just go alright, I don't want her seeing you... She's forgotten most of what happened, and it makes her ill to remember.

**Mr Fletcher, there are people out there who want your granddaughter. I'm just checking in, I need to make sure she is safe.**

You said they think she's dead? They have no idea who her father is? So why would they be looking here? The only reason they would suspect anything about me and Penny is the fact that you have come here. Please, just leave. And don't come back. Go back to America, I can look after her here.

**Alright, if you're sure. But just in case... Take this. If she is in danger, if they find her, do not hesitate to contact me. Got it?**

Yes, I get it, now leave!

~The stranger left, and the old man walked through to Penny's room.~

Alright, you all ready for bed then? Good, good girl... So, story time. Captain America and Sergeant Barnes. What shall I tell you tonight? Ah, I know! Poker.

_Poker?_

Poker. Some of the guys used to play in the evenings, to pass the time between missions. I was never very interested in playing, but one night, my friend Walters convinced me to play with them. He managed to get us a place playing with the Howling Commandos, I've no idea how. Somehow I ended up sat right next to Sergeant Barnes, and the Captain sat on his other side. Apparently it was quite rare for the Captain to play as well. Sergeant Barnes went from normally playing with no one who loved him, to playing sandwiched between two men who were deeply in love with him. Although of course, he didn't realise that. I think.

Captain America was very friendly. He always seemed so serious during missions, or discussing missions, and I think a few people were a little intimidated by him at first, having only seen him in mission mode. But when he relaxed, he was all smiles and laughter. He joked with us, and he was actually interested in getting to know us. He was a lot like Sergeant Barnes in that he was very patient with me when I was struggling to speak. I remember a specific point in the game where I'd trailed off partway through a sentence, and one of the others thought I'd finished talking and began speaking himself. I was perfectly used to that happening, so I just sat back slightly, a little disappointed that I hadn't been able to finish, but I was content to let it slide. Captain America had other ideas. He took one look at my face, saw that I hadn't actually finished, and then said,

"Actually Gabe, I don't think Fletcher had quite finished what he was saying." That surprised everyone at the table. I went bright red, and stammered out the rest of my sentence. The Captain was smiling at me encouragingly, and I saw Sergeant Barnes give him this look that was just so proud of how he'd jumped in to my defence. For the rest of the game, any time I tried to say something, the others would check that I had finished before moving on. There were a few other times when they made sure to let me finish after that as well - some of them even helped me out in conversation with other men who hadn't been at the game... It was so lovely, and Captain America was the reason. Even though I'm sure the Sergeant had held people back to allow me to speak on several occasions before the Captain arrived. People seemed to pay more attention to what the Captain thought... But they should have listened to Sergeant Barnes. Even after what happened to Hartley, they still didn't let me speak...

_What happened to Hartley?_

It was before the Captain arrived... Before the Hydra base... I was part of a group who had been sent to sneak up on some Nazi soldiers, and Hartley was with me. I saw that there was something up ahead, something that could be a trap, and I tried to warn Hartley. He didn't have the patience to listen to my stuttering... He pushed forwards, and I tried to pull him back, I tried to call after him, but I didn't want to alert the enemy to our presence, so I had to be quiet. I stayed hidden as well as I could, trying to signal him back, trying to stop the rest of the group. I managed to slow them enough that they were able to retreat when it happened, but Hartley...

There was an ambush waiting for us. I don't know how they knew that we would be there, but they knew. They shot Hartley, and they just kept shooting... He went down and they kept shooting him, as well as shooting at the others... Most of us had gone forward following Hartley, so it was up to me and a few stragglers to try and take out as many as possible, and cover the retreat of those who'd gone forward. Honestly, we were lucky to only lose Hartley, but several others were injured. I could have prevented it... I should have prevented it! I knew something was wrong, I saw the trap, I should have stopped them, I should have made sure they knew, but I couldn't get the words out, I couldn't... I didn't have the words... It was my fault, I should have stopped them...

~The old man placed his head in his hands and began to rock back and forth. He continued to mumble, shaking his head. Penny reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.~

_Grandpa, it's okay... It wasn't your fault, you tried your best to warn them. You couldn't have done anything more... And if it weren't for you, then surely the others would have died too? They would have been caught in the ambush with Hartley, right? So you saved all those people. Don't hate yourself because you couldn't save one more._

Thank you, Penny. I - I think that's all for tonight... I'm sorry, I just can't face any more.

_That's okay, goodnight Grandpa._

Goodnight Penny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there is one more chapter after this, and then I'll start posting the sequel. I'm sorry this chapter didn't have much Stucky, I'm really running out of ideas...


	7. Chapter 6

_Grandpa, come on, it's story time! Look, I'm all ready for bed. C'mon, I want to hear more of your stories!!_

Patience dear, I'm coming. You really like these stories don't you?

_You tell really good stories, Grandpa. They're exciting, even when they get nightmarish._

I shouldn't be telling you things that are 'nightmarish', I should be telling you more age-appropriate stories.

_Stop complaining Grandpa. I know you're going to tell me anyway, you always do._

And I don't feel good about it, although I suppose you haven't been sleeping any worse at least since I started telling you these stories... Alright, well is there anything specific you'd like to hear tonight?

_The other night, when we were looking through the photo album, you said that you'd stayed friends with that guy until he died... All your stories of Sergeant Barnes are from the war. Did he...?_

You want to know what happened to him? I suppose I could tell you that story... It's quite sad though, are you sure you want to hear it?... Alright then.

There was a scientist, quite high up the ranks in Hydra, and he was travelling on a train. Sergeant Barnes, the Captain, and a few others went on a mission to capture him, to gain information. I wasn't with them, so I don't know for sure exactly what they found on the train, but I do know that there was a fight. They came up against more than they expected. The side of the train was blasted open, and Sergeant Barnes... fell. The train was halfway up a snowy mountain; it was freezing. I don't believe they ever found his body, but... If the fall didn't kill him, hypothermia did.

When the Captain returned from that mission, I took one look at his face, and I knew, straight away. I knew something had happened to Sergeant Barnes, and my heart felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Somehow, I managed not to break down right then, in fact I don't think I broke down properly, didn't cry, until after the war was over. I just couldn't deal with it. The man I loved had died, and I'd never taken the opportunity to tell him how I felt. I'd had plenty of opportunities to tell him, make my feelings known, but I'd never had the courage. But the poor Captain... He had it far worse than me. Sergeant Barnes had been his closest friend growing up, possibly his only friend, and had been his lover. And he'd watched him die, seen him fall from the train... I don't know all the details of what happened to Sergeant Barnes, but I know that somehow Captain America believed it to be his fault that the man he loved had fallen to his death... I never blamed him, though. Knowing the Captain, he did everything he could... Why wouldn't you do everything you could to save the man who looked after you throughout your youth, who protected you and laughed with you? Who showed you they cared when it felt like the whole world was against you? That's what Sergeant Barnes was to the Captain, and so much more...

After that, the Captain really threw himself into finding the last of the Hydra bases and taking the organisation down for good. He couldn't save his lover, so he was damn well sure going to avenge him. I shared that feeling. I took any and every opportunity to help the Captain in his mission to take out Hydra, and later, I joined an organisation called SHIELD, which was set up to protect people, make sure nothing like Hydra ever happened again... I retired from that a few years ago. They're top secret, so you mustn't tell anyone about them, hmm?

_What happened to the Captain? What did he do after the war?_

Ohh... You really want the whole story don't you? I suppose I could tell you, if you really must know... Not long after Sergeant Barnes... died... we found the main Hydra base. We went all out trying to take them down. The Captain allowed himself to be captured in order to gain entrance, then the Howling Commandos smashed through the windows of the room where he was. Myself and many others charged on the base from the outside at the same time, so that Hydra were facing attack from every angle. I was feeling vengeful, furious at Hydra for taking the Sergeant away from me, and for what they'd done to him and the rest of us when we'd been held captive. I'm sure the Captain had similar thoughts in mind. He went after the head of Hydra, a man known as Red Skull. I don't know why, but he was.

Red Skull tried to escape on a plane - a pretty high tech plane too, Hydra were rather advanced in technological terms... The Captain managed to get onboard that plane, and he defeated Red Skull. But the plane was locked on course. It was headed for America - New York I believe - and it was loaded with bombs. To stop it, and save everyone in the city, the Captain had only one choice. He plunged the ship into the ocean, burying it forever, and himself with it. He died heroically, saving so many people, and thanks to him, a lot of lives were changed for the better. I doubt SHIELD would have been set up without him, and Hydra would probably have conquered the world. He did a lot of good things with his life, but he could have done so much more if he hadn't had to sink that plane. Howard Stark was hit pretty hard by the Captain's death, and I did what I could to help him through it. In return, he helped me get through losing Sergeant Barnes. We became fast friends after the war, instead of the rivals we'd been previously. I eventually managed to comfort myself in the knowledge that, although two of the greatest men I've ever known were gone, they weren't separated for long. They'd grown up together, spent their whole lives together practically, and they both moved on to... whatever comes next... so close together... Whatever afterlife there is... they're there together, and so they must be happy.

_D'you think Mum and Dad are with them?_

I think your Dad probably started seeking them out the moment he realised what had happened to him. Maybe they were there to greet him... I expect Barnes would have kept an eye on all his old friends, he'd want to know what was going on with us. The Captain too. And Howard Stark probably meets up with them regularly, and he'd want to meet my son... He used to be pretty good friends with Howard's son, your Dad... I don't really know about your Mom, I never knew her very well... But I expect she's up there, with people who make her happy...

_Probably not Dad then... They were always arguing... I think... I don't know... It... Grandpa..._

Penny, shhh-shhh... It's alright Penny, it's okay, I'm here... Shhh... Don't worry pet, everything will be alright... Shhh... Do you want me to tell you another story? I could tell you about the time that Sergeant Barnes and I started a mud fight in the camp, it was so funny. And Captain America just sat and sketched the whole thing.

_*sniff* You st-started a-a mud fight? *sniff*_

It was an accident really. I was walking past Sergeant Barnes, holding some soup. I tripped, and spilt it on him. Of course, being me, I started stuttering and stammering, trying to apologise. He just looked at me, I was a complete wreck, there was no way for him to reason with me... Then he got this mischievous little glint in his eye... I think he probably wanted to start a food fight, but during the war, in a war zone, food was pretty difficult to come by, and not something you wanted to waste... Mud, on the other hand... We had plenty of that.

He bent down and scooped up a handful while I was standing there stammering, and then threw it in my face. I stopped, shocked, and just looked at him. He was grinning at me, and whispered to me, "Mud fight?" Before I could say anything, he had started grabbing more mud and throwing it at other soldiers, who looked at him strangely at first. Then I picked up some mud and threw it at the Sergeant, smiling slightly. Then stuff got serious. Most of us were covered in mud from the latest mission anyway, so it didn't make much difference, and it was so much fun... And the Captain just sat at the edge of it, dodging the occasional stray mud-missile that came his way, sketching away, smiling at the ridiculous childishness of his boyfriend. I managed to get hold of the sketch of that day, after he died... I've got it in a frame somewhere... Haven't unpacked it yet... I'll dig it out to show you tomorrow, would you like that?

_I'd love that, Grandpa... I'm sleepy now, goodnight._

Goodnight, love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I so nearly ended that on such a sad note... I'm glad I came up with that mud fight last minute. So this is it then. The end. The sequel is ongoing, it's called Penny. Go give it a read, if you like. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
